2: My name is Hannah Sinai; I'm twelve years old, and will be going into the seventh grade at New Albany Middle School. I love to explore nature and be around animals. Outside of school I enjoy traveling, lacrosse, playing the clarinet and hanging out with friends. Participating in the Oregon STEM Expedition has been such an amazing experience. Not only have I learned a lot about geology, wildlife tracking, and photography, but I have met new people and made new friends. It was so much fun to travel to Oregon and have a chance to meet scientists and learn from them in the field. STEM is a really fun way to get connected with nature, learn about cameras and digital photography. Next summer, I hope to expand on my passion for animals and visit an animal rehabilitation center with the 2013 South Africa STEM Expedition. http://naplsstemx.blogspot.com/ | Student Biography | 1 | 2

3: STEM Expeditions Oregon June 2012 Equipment used: Nikon D5100 | 3

4: Scientist in the Field

5: “Tracking, the original science of deductive reasoning and proving out a hypothesis, has carried over into all walks of my life. It has provided the training of the scientific mind like no other study I have ever found and it achieves this with a unique and perfect balance with the creative right side of the brain. Every step I take in life is enhanced when viewed through the tracking point of of view." ~Joe Kreuzman | 5

6: Joe Kreuzman works at Coyote Trails as a senior instructor and specializes in wildlife tracking. He has been fascinated with tracking from an early age and shared his skills with us. During our trip to Oregon, he showed us how to find and identify tracks while we were out hiking. He taught us how to see more than just a track but a story. By using wide angle vision and hearing, you can take in the whole scene of your surroundings and not just focus on something specific. Joe really helped us to connect with nature and see more than we think we can. | Joe Kreuzman | 6

7: A lesson Joe taught me was that if you're quiet, you are able to observe and see more of what happens in nature and between animals. If you are making a lot of noise and disrupting the baseline, the animals will hide and think of you as a threat. By staying quiet and letting things go back to baseline, their awareness bubble becomes smaller and the animals will get comfortable with you being there. Joe really taught me a lot about tracking and getting close to animals and nature. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to meet and track with him. It was a great experience! | 7

8: Geology

9: Geology noun 1. the science that deals with the dynamics and physical history of the earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the physical, chemical, and biological changes that the earth has undergone or is undergoing. 2. the study of this science. | 9

10: Geode | 10

11: Pumice Desert | 11

12: Today the Oregon Cascades are known for their picturesque beauty, lush green forests, and snow capped mountain peaks. This region is unique from the other mountain ranges in the West because of evidence of volcanic activity throughout the area dating back 35 million years. While it is a serene setting today, the Cascades have a fiery past. | 12

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14: The Earth's surface is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates. These plates are in constant motion moving away from each other, sliding past each other, or colliding. When the plates collide, volcanoes can form from the process of the plates coming together. The plate tectonics theory explains how this process created the Cascade Mountains located in the Northwestern United States. | 14

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17: Geologists refer to the process of plates colliding as a convergent plate boundary. Off the coast of Oregon, the Juan de Fuca Plate, which is about 300 miles long, is being subducted under the North American plate. When plates are forced under one another, this is called a convergent plate boundary, but more specifically a subduction zone. Subduction results in the recycling of rocks into the mantle. When the plate is forced deep into the mantle, the mantle rocks melt to form magma. The new magma formed in the subduction zone is pushed upwards towards the Earth's surface to form volcanoes. The Cascade Mountains are a chain of volcanoes that formed as the result of the Juan de Fuca Plate subducting under the North American plate. A well known volcano in this mountain chain is Mount Mazama. | 17

18: Mount Mazama began forming a volcano in the Cascades over 400,000 years ago. Over time, lava and ash erupted and flowed down the mountain, strengthening its' sides, and forming a composite volcano. Composite volcanoes are built by multiple eruptions that occur over hundreds of thousands of years. They also often include a crater at the summit with a central vent and a system that allows hot magma to rise to the surface. The size of Mount Mazama was estimated to be more than 12,000 feet in elevation. | 18

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20: Where is Mount Mazama today? Approximately 7,700 years ago, an eruption on the northeast side of Mount Mazama caused a vent to form releasing ash and pumice into the air over 30 miles high that was carried as far as Southern California. As more ash erupted, new vents formed and the volcano began to collapse in on itself. All that was left was a volcanic depression, a caldera, which was 5x6 miles in diameter and 1,946 feet deep. The caldera is now home to Crater Lake. | 20

21: Over the next 750 years following the collapse of Mount Mazama, smaller eruptions built Wizard Island, the only formation above the water, Merriam Cone, and the Central Platform. The last known eruption at Crater Lake occurred 4,800 years ago. Since then, the volcano has remained “quiet”. Geologists refer to this as dormant. | 21

22: The future of Crater Lake is uncertain but with a long history of volcanic activity and being located in an earthquake active area where the Earth's crust is being stretched, the possibility of an eruption in the future is likely The other geologic concern is landslides from the steep caldera walls. Crater Lake is located in an area where the Earth's surface is being stretched causing fault lines that can produce earthquakes. For now, Crater Lake remains as Oregon's Wonder of World, the deepest Lake in the United States measuring 1,946 feet, and the ninth deepest lake on Earth. | 22

23: Timeline | GREW Mount Mazama was a large composite volcano. Built over 400,000 years by volcanic eruptions, it grew to be 12,000 feet above sea level. BLEW 7,700 years ago there was a catastrophic eruption. Rhyodacite pumice and ash covered the Northwestern states and central Canada. FELL Mount Mazama collapsed in on itself. A bowl shaped depression remained, the caldera which is now known as Crater Lake. FILLED 5,000-6,000 years ago rain and snowfall filled the caldera. It took 250 years for the caldera to fill to its present depth. | 23

24: This is a picture of a geode I found on the ground when we were hiking at Land Bridge, Soda Mountain Wilderness,OR. | This is a picture of the fossil fumaroles. The bus stopped here so we could sight-see and take pictures. | 24

25: These are pictures from the Pumice Desert that we visited. The ground was covered with pumice. | Pumice is an igneous rock that is extremely light and can float. It is so light because during the eruption of Mt. Mazama, the explosive gases released caused the rock to have holes. | 25

38: Observer: Class Date: June 25, 2012 Location: By duckpond in old field on NA campus Habitat: Grass Track Description: Broken wing killdeer dance Notes: The killdeer will pretend to have a broken wing so the predator stays away from the nest | 38

39: Observer: Hannah Sinai Date: June 25, 2012 Location: Old field by duckpond in old field on NA campus Habitat: Nest Track Description: Four eggs in a nest of rocks and twigs Notes: The eggs are cream colored with speckles | 39

44: Wildlife tracking is not just about following footstep in the snow but discovering relationships between animals and the real world. Tracking is both science and storytelling. | 44

45: Scat is waste matter from an animal. Scat can tell you many different things about an animal including its eating habits. The size and shape gives you the most information to help determine what type of animal left it. Scat in a long, cylinder shape is from a larger animal like a bear, coyote or raccoon. Scat that is small and round comes from smaller animals like a rabbit or chipmunk. This helps identify the animal as either a large or small animal. You can also determine if the animal you're tracking is a carnivore or herbivore by examining scat. Some scat may have bones and hair that would come from an animal that is a carnivore or omnivore. Scat with berries and seeds would be from an animal that does not eat meat, a herbivore. | 45

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47: Scat can be used to understand animal habits. Similar scat found in an area can help determine where the animal spends most of its time. Scat that has been exposed to the sun will turn white over time. This helps to estimate when the animal was in the area. You may think scat is smelly or gross, but it is really stuffed with magnificent information that can lead you to the next clue and help solve the mystery question of "what animal is it?" | 47

51: Critique | This is a picture of bark that is old and torn. To capture this picture I leaned the bottom of my camera against the tree and the lens was pointing upward towards the top of the tree. This picture is an example of short depth of field. My favorite thing about this picture is that you can see the detail of the layers and dark shadows. You are able to see all of the ridges and the bumps of the bark. I also like how many colors the bark has; orange, brown, yellow, green and gray. They look like scales with different shapes and sizes, creating a suite of armor protecting the mighty tree. | 51